Oasis Community Learning hosts national awards ceremony honouring students’ character

Over 260 students in the Oasis Community Learning academy trust aged 10-18 were celebrated as part of a national awards ceremony on the 9th July. Coming together for a digital event, they were awarded for their character, competence, and commitment to their communities.

Oasis academies have historically held their bi-annual national awards at the Birmingham ICC as part of a large-scale celebration. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trust made the decision this year to hold a digital event in its place.

Nominated students from across 51 academies gathered together to enjoy an afternoon of professional entertainment, including ariel acrobatics and freestyle football, celebrity congratulations messages from television presenters and blockbuster actors from franchises such as Marvel and Harry Potter, and praise from key leaders within the trust.

Thanks to Sodexo, the key sponsor for the event, every school was also delivered a special afternoon tea hamper for the students to enjoy with their Principal and teachers.

Unlike traditional education award ceremonies, the students were nominated because of their character, the hard work they put in to overcome personal challenges and their voluntary work and commitment to supporting their communities, before and during the pandemic.

John Murphy, Chief Executive of Oasis Community Learning, commented saying; “Part of what makes Oasis unique is our approach to supporting young people in developing their character, confidence to persevere, and reaching their potential all whilst making a difference to those around them.”

“The National Student Awards is always a humbling experience for us all, as it showcases all the incredible things our young people are already doing in and out of school, all across the country.”

As part of the awards, every child nominated received a special certificate of commendation, and an overall winner was chosen in each category for primary and secondary; Character, Competence and Community.

This year the winning students were: Weronika Duda of Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe (Grimsby) and Liban Gedi of Oasis Academy Leesbrook (Oldham) for the Character award; Genta Begu of Oasis Academy Johanna (London) and Charlie House of Oasis Academy Mayfield (Southampton) for the Competence award; and Alisha Fletcher of Oasis Academy Parkwood (Scunthorpe) and Stephen Finch of Oasis Academy Brightstowe (Bristol) for the Community award. Eve Adedire of Oasis Academy Oldham also received a special CEO’s commendation for her efforts.

Due to the nature of this year’s event, the trust has also pledged to donate the un-spent sponsorship money from Sodexo, New Combustion and Bulloughs Cleaning Services into fighting food poverty within the communities they serve.

More information about the event can be found at: https://www.oasiscommunitylearning.org/news-videos/national-student-awards